I just returned from visiting a customer in Andover, MA. They were concerned about their heating bills being too high. This is something we hear universally from all of our clients. In the Boston area, many of the homes are heating with fuel oil, which has been very expensive. But whether you use fuel oil, natural gas or propane, what I'm about to share could apply to you.
In this area you see two common types of heating that involve heating liquid for heat. In a steam system, the water is heated to become steam, which then rises to the radiators in each room. The radiators heat up and heat the room. Once the steam cools down, it turns back into water and flows back to the boiler. This process is repeated over and over whenever the house needs heat.
A second common type of heat is a hot water system .This is similar to the steam system, but the liquid (often water) is heated to a level where it is hot, but does not turn into steam. That water is then pumped through the house to heat up radiant floors or hot water baseboard radiators. When the water returns to the boiler, it is cooler and is reheated and pumped around again.
The common thread between these two systems is that the use a system of pipes in the basement to distribute the heat. These pipes take the steam or hot water to the various radiators around the house. What we see in many houses are homeowners complaining that the basement is too warm and the rest of the house is too cold. We’ve even seen houses where the main house doesn’t get over 60 degrees when the thermostat is turned up to 80 degrees.
The main culprit here is uninsulated heating pipes. If you go up to a hot water or steam pipe in the basement when the heat is running, you can feel the heat coming off the pipe. This is heat that you are paying for, but is never making it to the main area of your house. All it is doing is making your basement nice and toasty.
The good news is that there is a very easy fix. You can go to a local Home Depot or Lowes and buy pipe insulation. It comes in different diameters to fit different sizes of pipes. Once this is installed on the pipes, your basement will cool down, the rest of your house will heat up and your heating bill will go down. This is the best money you can spend to lower your heating bills and make your house more comfortable.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
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I would like to confirm what an excellent heat conserving tip this is. I have a very old (1831) home in southern Vermont. Over the years we have done the small incremental things to help improve preservation of heat--- caulking, better storms, more caulking, etc. Never did I give much thought to insulating the heating pipes in the basement and crawl space. Stupid me. This past fall I went to my local builder supply store (RK Miles) and purchased about 20 lengths of foam(?) pipe insulation. With a pair of scissors or a box cutting knife I completed the project---- all heating pipes and my hotwater lines-- in about an hour.
ReplyDeleteThe measurable difference--- the basement is noticeably cooler-- more heat being delivered into the living areas of the house. Although anecdotal, it is obvious to the touch that the return line temperature (circ hot water system) is much warmer than before the project. As a result, the furnace comes on less often!
This is an easy, low cost project with a very quick payback. Compliments to Chris Matey for this excellent tip!
This is an excellent energy saving tip for those of us with hot water/steam heating systems. I have a very old house (1831) in southern Vermont. Over the years we have done many of the small incremental projects to help tighten-up the house--- caulking, new storms, more caulk, etc. Only this fall did it dawn on me that insulating the heating pipes in the basement and crawl space would be a good thing. Let me report that it was a great project--- easy to do, low cost and quick/immediate payback!
ReplyDeleteI went to my local builder supply store (RK Miles) and purchased perhaps 20 lengths of foam pipe insulation. With a good pair of scissors or box cutting knife the project took me an hour--- all heating pipes plus hot water lines. The foam insulation "tubes" I bought were slit length-wise and were self-adhering once you pulled off the yellow protective tape---- makes for a nice seal around the pipe.
Although anecdotal at this point, I can report the following: The basement is noticeably cooler-- which is good! To the touch, the heating return line temperatures are hotter--- less heat loss to the basement as the water circulates resulting in fewer demands on the furnace to heat-up the water!
This is a winner of a tip. Compliments to Chris Matey for his post!